- Kube-proxy: fix a bug on UDP `NodePort` Services where stale connection tracking entries may blackhole the traffic directed to the `NodePort` ([#98305](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/98305), [@aojea](https://github.com/aojea))

  * Service.Spec.ExternalTrafficPolicy was 'service.beta.kubernetes.io/external-traffic' annotation.

  * Service.Spec.HealthCheckNodePort was 'service.beta.kubernetes.io/healthcheck-nodeport' annotation.

### **Node Components**
#### Container Runtime Interface

- Kube-proxy: fix a bug on UDP NodePort Services where stale conntrack entries may blackhole the traffic directed to the NodePort. ([#98305](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/98305), [@aojea](https://github.com/aojea)) [SIG Network]

### Bug or Regression

- Added new feature gate `ServiceNodePortStaticSubrange`, to enable the new strategy in the `NodePort` Service port allocators, so the node port range is subdivided and dynamic allocated `NodePort` port for Services are allocated preferentially from the upper range. ([#114418](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/114418), [@xuzhenglun](https://github.com/xuzhenglun))

- The `kube-apiserver` will now expose four new metrics to inform about errors on the clusterIP and nodePort allocation logic. ([#120843](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/120843), [@aojea](https://github.com/aojea))
- The `volume_zone` plugin will consider `beta` labels as `GA` labels during the scheduling

- Added support to the kube-proxy nodePortAddresses / --nodeport-addresses option to
  accept the value "primary", meaning to only listen for NodePort connections
  on the node's primary IPv4 and/or IPv6 address (according to the Node object).
  This is strongly recommended, if you were not previously using
  --nodeport-addresses, to avoid surprising behavior.

* Exclude nodes labeled as master from LoadBalancer / NodePort; restores documented behaviour. ([#44745](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/44745), [@justinsb](https://github.com/justinsb))

## Before Upgrading

* Beta annotations `service.beta.kubernetes.io/external-traffic` and `service.beta.kubernetes.io/healthcheck-nodeport` have been removed. Please use fields `service.spec.externalTrafficPolicy` and `service.spec.healthCheckNodePort` instead. ([#50224](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/50224), [@xiangpengzhao](https://github.com/xiangpengzhao))

- Reduce kube-proxy CPU usage in IPVS mode when a large number of nodePort services exist. ([#79444](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/79444), [@cezarsa](https://github.com/cezarsa))